


Turbulence

by orphan_account



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, This was all created in a stream of thought pls forgive me, little love triangle if you look closely, what even is this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:25:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kim Dahyun works in a building decorating company with her friend Taeyang.But, when she gets called to do a job in a sorority in her own university, she is reluctant to agree.Also, what the hell is up with Minatozaki Sana?





	1. Chapter 1

When you look at Dahyun, the first thought that springs to mind is most definitely not "Skilled builder decorator".

Yet, appearances are nothing if not deceiving. Kim Dahyun learned pretty quickly that she's rather good at doing manual labour, that she can conceptualise the way a room will look after it's been decorated without difficulty, that she can gauge exactly what a room needs to make it habitable. 

So when her friend Taeyang kick started his own building/decorating service Dahyun was happy to help. It was hard considering she was a first year university student, but whenever she was available to help out she would, Taeyang was older and always offered her a good pay so she could fund her uni escapades. It was an ideal arrangement, and a pretty steady source of income. Dahyun loved it. 

Well, until now.

"Yeah, no thanks." Dahyun immediately rebuffs, causing Taeyang to scoff over the phone. He has proposed a new job, which usually Dahyun would be eager to accept. 

But not if it's in her own  _university._

And definitely _, definitely_ not if it's in  _that_ sorority. 

Dahyun prides herself on being rather progressive, and she genuinely hates sororities in general, it's an outdated concept that she _will not_ endorse by any means. 

"Dahyun I'm asking you because you know what the sorority is like! You can offer a new perspective." Taeyang argues, and it would have been convincing had Dahyun not been very perceptive.

"No, Taeyang. You're asking me because everyone else is on holiday." Dahyun deadpans. It's true. Heechul, Seungri and Jiyoung are all abroad, living it up elsewhere. Dahyun is Taeyang's last option, and usually she'd be annoyed but she doesn't blame him. She would hate to do this job on her own. 

"Okay I'm asking you because everyone else is on holiday. Come on, you'll get half the cut and they're paying quite generously."

"It's sounding a little more tempting now..."

"Plus all they want done is the kitchen and the living room. It'll be a quick job, I know you need to enjoy the summer too." Taeyang does not relent in his convincing. 

Dahyun sighs. She does need the extra cash, and besides, there's a slim chance that the sorority girls will even recognise her. She studies engineering and most of them do arstsy majors. If they get the job done quickly, she can get her cash and get outta there. 

"Ugh."

"Ugh means yes. I'm taking that as a yes." 

"Ugh." 

"We start tomorrow, 9AM sharp." 

_Ugh._

* * *

 

The next day, at 9AM, Kim Dahyun is standing outside  _that_ sorority with Taeyang beside her, both of them wearing blue overalls. Taeyang's Van is parked a couple of feet away, and the company logo on it is depicting a happy face- The opposite to what Dahyun is feeling right now. She feels like even the exterior of the house is screaming " _We're a sorority and we're the most cliche, outdated concept since the start of modern civilisation_!".

"Remember to smile, the customers love it when we smile." Taeyang discreetly reminds her.

"Was I not smiling?"

"No, you were giving your _I really don't want to be here_ look. Smile." 

Dahyun rolls her eyes but puts on her best fake smile, showing teeth and all. Just as she does this, the door opens to reveal Im Nayeon. 

English Literature student. Third year. One of the prettiest girls in the university. Cute smile. Loves Shakespeare. Over dramatic.

Dahyun doesn't hate her. 

"Hi!" Nayeon greets enthusiastically, and Dahyun watches as Taeyang shifts into professional mode, respectfully holding a hand out to shake. 

"I'm Taeyang. Nayeon, right? We spoke on the phone I believe." 

Nayeon nods. "Ah yes, I remember. Now I can put a face to a voice. Nice to finally meet you."

Taeyang gestures to Dahyun, who has managed to maintain her smile for longer than usual. She's quite proud of herself, actually. Nayeon turns to look at her and Dahyun can see the girl tilt her head slightly, as if she's wondering where on earth she knows her from. 

"This is Dahyun. She'll be my partner in crime." Taeyang introduces, and Dahyun nods. Nayeon grin widens, showing her adorable bunny teeth. 

"Nice to meet you both! Come in, come in. The girls are all in the living room, we've been anticipating your arrival." 

Taeyang and Dahyun exchange a glance. This sounds like the start to a reallybad movie. Dahyun already wants to be far, far away from here. 

They follow Nayeon through the sorority house, and much _not_ to the surprise of Dahyun it's exactly how she imagined into be. White pillars, traditional but modern, large, girly, cliche. Gross. It's nothing like the cramped dorm room that Dahyun shares with Chaeyoung. Quite the opposite. 

Dahyun half expects to see a blazing fire aligned with the cackles of young women like she's entering the gates of hell when her and Taeyang enter the living room, but instead she's met with the sight of six pretty girls all sat on the couch, looking up at her with curious eyes. She can pretty much put a name to each and everyone one of them. 

There's Myoui Mina, she also studies English Literature, Chou Tzuyu, studying Fine Arts, (They're both first years like she is), Park Jihyo, Architecture, Yoo Jeongyeon (The object of Chaeyoung's undying affections and her crush) media, Hirai Momo, English Literature and last but certainly not least, Minatozaki Sana, English literature. Prettiest girl in their university. Popular, Dahyun doesn't really know what to think about her. 

She also doesn't know what to think about the way she's looking at her right now, with a challenging, devious look in her eyes as if she's been met with something unexpected. 

"Guys these are our saviours! Here to rid us of the burden of our shitty kitchen and living room," (Dahyun nearly scoffs, from what she can see their living room is quite nice already) "And let us have the sorority we know we deserve. Let me introduce you to Taeyang and Dahyun," Nayeon announces, and the girls all clap. Dahyun is beyond confused at this point, suddenly she feels like she's on a TV show. The houses they usually work on don't have grand introductions like these girls do. 

_Huh, sororities._

"Don't you go here?" Momo asks once the applause has died down. 

All eyes switch to her. 

"Yeah, I do. I study engineering." Dahyun confesses. She knows she's treading on dangerous ground. The STEM majors vs The Artsy Majors regularly competed, and the rivalry has been going on for forever. But, she doesn't see any judgement on the girl's faces. They just look intrigued. 

"I knew I recognised you! Aren't you Son Chaeyoung's roommate?" Jeongyeon asks next, and Dahyun nods. When she tells Chaeyoung that Jeongyeon knows who she is, she's sure her fried will combust into flames of joy. 

"You're pretty." Sana states cooly.

Dahyun raises her eyebrows in surprise. The compliment is so forward and definitely _not_ what's she's used to. Sana has her head cocked to one side and she's staring at Dahyun like she's a specimen waiting to be dissected. Dahyun hardly knows what to say, the disgustingly unfamiliar feeling of nervousness creeping into her system like an unwanted disease. 

"Thanks. You're um... You're pretty too." As soon as the words tumble from her mouth she feels the need to face- palm, did she really just say " _Um"?_ She hears Taeyang snort quietly from beside her and she wants the ground to swallow her whole. She's never usually this shy. It's just- Sana is _ridiculously_ good looking, and Dahyun has heard a lot of things about her, (mostly from girls) about how she can make anybody feel nervous just with one look. That rumour is proving to be true. 

Sana giggles and for a second Dahyun swears she can feel a genuine smile replace her fake one.  _Get yourself together,_ her inner self reprimands. She looks away quickly. 

"Anyway, we better let Taeyang and Dahyun here get to work. We'll _try_ not to bother you guys." Nayeon assures, her eyes flickering to Sana briefly. The girls murmur agreement and all stand to leave, moving in succession out of the living room. Dahyun watches them head up the stairs, and Sana turns and meets her gaze just then, smirking and shooting a wink in her direction. Dahyun turns back around abruptly, her heart racing. Does Sana act that way around everyone?  _Damn._ She's never been in contact with someone so... forward.

" _Y-you're u-um... You're p-pretty t-too_." Taeyang mimics in a ridiculous voice as soon as they're alone. Dahyun punches him in his gut. 

"I did  _not_ sound like that!" She argues. 

Taeyang laughs. "Sure you didn't kiddo. You were practically drooling. Don't get many compliments from pretty girls, do you?" He teases. 

"Ugh, leave me alone. Let's just get this over with." 

* * *

 

True to their word, the girls stayed rooted upstairs whilst Dahyun and Taeyang got to work that day. It wasn't a hard job, the kitchen only required new flooring and new tiles for the walls, something Dahyun had done a million times before. She reckoned the kitchen would take a week, and the living room would take longer.

At midday Dahyun excuses herself to the bathroom. They've been working for four long hours, non stop, and are finally having a break.

She walks up the stairs cautiously and quietly, trying not to alert the other girls. She's avoiding any conversation or interaction with them at all costs. 

Luckily, the girls all appear to be in their rooms, and Dahyun is relieved. She enters the bathroom and does her business, washing her hands and drying them. 

When she leaves, she isn't expecting to be met with the sight of Sana, in all her beautiful glory, stood tapping her feet impatiently as she waits for the bathroom.

"Oh, sorry." Dahyun says lamely, her pale cheeks already dusting a light pink.

Sana smiles. "For what?" She asks in amusement.

Dahyun wants to slam her head against a wall. Why _is_ she apologising? She can't muster up a response. 

Sana notices this and her smile widens. 

"You know, you don't really have the look of an engineering major." Sana comments, her eyes raking down Dahyun's overalled body. Dahyun feels a nag of annoyance. What the hell did an 'engineering major' look like?

"I didn't know we had a particular look." 

Sana laughs at Dahyun's annoyed tone. Dahyun feels like she's mocking her.

"You're cute. I can't believe I've never seen you around campus before." Sana continues, and the incongruous way in which she is speaking is making Dahyun feel weird. Sure, she's heard from everybody that Sana is a flirtatious person, everyone knows this. But she's never witnessed it up close and personal, and she doesn't know how to take it. She's never been flirted with by a girl, let alone one as beautiful as Sana, and she is assuming that's the reason why she feels this way. Regardless, she doesn't like it, and so she tries her best to get out of the situation. She looks behind Sana and pretends to see an invisible clock. 

"Oh is that the time? Looks like it's time for my lunch break!" She comments, and her acting is not only terrible but horribly unconvincing, because Sana just raises an eyebrow. 

"Dahyun, there's no clock there." 

Dahyun blinks. If she could magically summon a truck to run her over, she would. "Right... I think Taeyang is calling me, bye." And she turns around and practically runs down the stairs, before Sana can even process what she says. 

When she reaches the kitchen she sees a calm Taeyang munching on a sandwich on the floor. She flops down next to him and bangs her head against the wall with a groan. Taeyang stops eating. 

"You alright there kiddo?" 

Dahyun just sighs. "Remind me to never go to the bathroom again." 

* * *

 

The next day, Dahyun wakes up with a groan. She's not looking forward to day two of sorority decorating. 

Chaeyoung is annoyed at her for not being ecstatic over the prospect of working on their house, and being close to 'Jeongyeon'. Dahyun doesn't care. She still doesn't like that sorority, even if, okay, admittedly, the girls are nice (Some a little toonice) and the environment is generally friendly. 

Sana is the one to open the door to her and Taeyang this time. Dahyun has to control her eyes from bulging out of her sockets. 

Yeah, it's a hot day. It is summer after all. But did Sana really have to wear denim shorts and a crop top? Dahyun can barely keep her eyes from focusing on the girl's toned, slim stomach, and she feels like Sana just  _knows,_ because the girl is smirking victoriously. 

"Hey Taeyang, hey Dahyun," Her eyes linger on Dahyun a little longer, "How are you two today?"

Taeyang speaks, and Dahyun thanks him for it because there's no way she would be able to form words. 

"We're good. Yesterday's sleep was very much needed." 

Sana nods and beckons the pair into the house, Dahyun trailing behind Taeyang like a lost puppy to put as much distance between her and Sana as humanly possible. 

A couple of the other girls are drifting around the house as they make their way to the kitchen, and they greet them cheerfully. Dahyun wonders how the girls are up so early on a day like this. She would be asleep until at least 2PM, tops, if she didn't have to work or go to a lecture. 

Dahyun successfully avoids eye contact with Sana, and disengages from the conversation as the girl makes small talk with Taeyang. After a couple of minutes, she's left, and Dahyun can finally relax. 

"Cat got your tongue kiddo? Why werent you speaking?" Taeyang, ever the perceptive one, asks immediately. 

Dahyun shrugs. "I don't know. And stop calling me kiddo, you're only ten years older than me." 

Taeyang just laughs and they get to work.

* * *

 

For today's lunch break, Dahyun decides to venture out into the garden. She figures going upstairs is too risky, and the sorority does admittedly have a gargantuan garden that just screams for exploration. She notices that there's a small space that is hidden behind some bushes, and she heads straight towards it. She's always wanted to have a hiding spot like this, away from everyone. It has a little bench inside it and Dahyun gleefully takes a seat. 

"This is my favourite place here." Momo comments.

Dahyun almost jumps out of her skin in surprise. She really thought she was alone. But alas, Hirai Momo is stood a few metres away, a smile on her lips as she watches Dahyun's expression.

"I can see why." Dahyun agrees. The space offers a excluded, calm ambiance that Dahyun just knows she would adore.  

Momo joins her on the bench and grins. According to Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo is one of the kindest, genuinely sweetest people in the university. That's why she has so many friends, she exudes kindness and her charms extend to anyone within reach. The girl is also talented in dance, which Dahyun already knows. When she first joined the university, Chaeyoung dragged her to the dance society which Momo herself is the chair of, but Dahyun quickly made an escape when Momo started teaching a routine that she definitely couldn't keep up with. All in all, she's almost perfect. 

"The girls are really excited that you two are here." She explains.

Dahyun frowns quizzically. "What, why?" 

"Well we've been meaning to get the kitchen and living room done forever..." She begins. "And you're both definitely good eye candy."

Dahyun blushes (She wishes she could control moments like these when her cheeks involuntarily decide to tinge), but Momo doesn't stop there.

"Personally, though, I think you're hotter." 

Dahyun almost chokes. Hirai Momo is flirting with her, blatantly, and she's _so_ not used to this. She is starting to wonder if this is just a sorority thing, if they're all this open and honest. But, she's not exactly complaining. Deep down she's flattered. She doesn't usually get this much attention, from anyone. It's a nice feeling. 

Momo is watching her closely, and Dahyun just stares at the ground and smiles shyly, desperately trying to regulate her heart. 

"I feel like you're not used to compliments," Momo says. 

Dahyun almost replies with 'No shit' but she figures that isn't the best response. Sure, she's been told she's pretty before, but just not by gorgeous girls who don't struggle with making eye contact. 

"Well, no not really." 

"Have you ever had a boyfriend? Girlfriend?" 

Dahyun is almost offended. "Of course." She once dated a boy from her church, and it took six, long months for Dahyun to realise that if she didn't feel anything when they kissed it probably meant that they weren't destined to be together.

Also, the fact that throughout their relationship she was secretly crushing on his sister was a big telltale sign. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound patronising. I just find you really interesting." Momo apologises, warm eyes meeting Dahyun's. Then, she stands up to leave. "I better go. Next time you have a break and you feel like you want to talk, come and visit me, my room is the one with the 'Momo' sign on the door," She proposes, and Dahyun can tell that the proposal is far from just friendly, for Momo is giving her  _that_ look and when she walks away she's swaying her hips in a way that's just sexy. 

Dahyun raises her eyebrows and lets out a long, confused breath.

This is not what she was expecting. 

* * *

 

 

After lunch, Dahyun gets back to work. They've removed the old floorboards completely now and are beginning to replace them with new ones. The work is exhausting but Dahyun persists, knowing it has to be done. She unzips her overalls and wraps the arms around her waist, leaving her in her black shirt. At least this way she can work more comfortably.

She looks outside into the garden (The kitchen has windows that showcase the place), and sees that Sana is out there, sunbathing by the pool. She's changed out of her shorts and crop top into a bikini, and Dahyun is suddenly very distracted.

"Ouch!" She shrieks, realising that she's dropped a piece of flooring on her foot.

"Whoa, careful. Are you okay?" Taeyang asks, rushing to her aid.

Dahyun nods quickly, through her peripheral seeing Sana reaching up from her spot on the lounger and stretching her arms.  "Yeah I'm good. It must be the heat." 

Taeyang accepts this excuse and gets back to work, and Dahyun watches as Sana pulls out sunscreen lotion. 

 _Oh my god_ , Dahyun thinks, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her back to Sana in a pathetic attempt to rid her mind of the thought. She's certain that Sana is doing this on purpose, trying to get a reaction out of her. It's working. Dahyun can't get the image of her rubbing that lotion over her smooth milky skin out of her head, and it's making it increasingly difficult to focus. 

She suddenly feels very frustrated. 

"I'll be right back." She tells Taeyang, marching out into the garden. Sana stops lotioning herself and looks up at Dahyun with a devious glint in her eyes. 

"Dahyun, is everything alright?" Sana asks. 

Dahyun throws her hands up in the air. "Can you stop...  _this_? It's very distracting." She gestures to Sana's bikini clad body (Which she is trying very hard not to stare at) and Sana laughs. 

"I can't sunbathe in my own house?" She says, feigning innocence. As annoying as it is, Dahyun knows she is right. She doesn't know what she expected to achieve by asking Sana to stop doing whatever she is doing when she truly has no right to. She suddenly feels very stupid, and quite embarrassed. 

"You can- it's just... Nevermind. Whatever." She huffs, and Sana's mischievous look softens.

"You're adorable," She says, then sighs. "I was about to head inside anyway." And she stands up abruptly, giving Dahyun a full view of her body.

"O-okay." There she goes again with the  _goddamn_ stutter. 

She watches helplessly as Sana struts away from her, the heat in her face comparable to the heat from the sun. Her stomach is lurching terribly because the view from the back is almost as good as the view from the front. 

Dahyun feels guilty. She feels like she's objectifying Sana, and she hates herself for it. So, she just turns and goes back inside, deciding to stop looking at her altogether. Maybe that will subdue the harsh beating of her heart. 

This is going to be a longsummer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! This won't be a long story, I reckon I'll make it three chapters long or less, it started out as a one-shot but I got carried away and couldn't fit it all in. 
> 
> I'm the best at starting new stories instead of updating my current ones (If you read my Chaelisa fic I vow to update it this week, sorry!)
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

"How's work going?' Lisa asks as her and Dahyun walk through campus. Dahyun and Lisa struck up a friendship pretty rapidly on the first day of lectures, both studying engineering, and both having no idea what the hell was going on. She's now one of her best friends, and one of the few people Dahyun has told about her... work situation. 

Dahyun sighs. The campus is pretty empty, with most of the students away for the summer break, and Dahyun loves the serene quietness of it all. 

"Honestly I don't know. They're nice I guess..." Dahyun explains, skipping the details. She's still rattled about Sana in that damn bikini the previous day, and today is her day off but she can't seem to stop thinking about it. Lisa chuckles. 

"I would die to be in your position right now. You're practically in paradise everyday." Like Chaeyoung, Lisa puts the girls in the sorority on a pedestal, like they're in a high school movie and that group are the hot cheerleaders who are unattainable to the mere commoners of the school. Dahyun supposes that would make her, Chaeyoung and Lisa the nerds who watch wistfully from afar. No, Dahyun refutes that title. She's far from a nerd. In this movie, she would be the cool girl. Probably. 

Okay, maybe not.

Dahyun pulls a face in disagreement, and is about to respond when she catches a glimpse of dark hair and hears a familiar high pitched giggle coming from the opposite direction.  _Shit._ Grabbing Lisa, Dahyun drags her towards a nearby bench, yanking her down so that they're hiding behind it. Lisa makes a sound of surprise. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Lisa hisses. Dahyun doesn't answer, slowly and surreptitiously peeking up from the bench and sure enough, Sana, Nayeon and Momo are walking past, oblivious to the two girls crouched just a few feet away. Dahyun's wary eyes follow the girls until they're long out of sight, and then she releases a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. 

"Sorry, I just didn't really want to say hi," Dahyun admits sheepishly. Lisa frowns at her. 

"Why did you have to drag  _me_ down with you? They don't even know I exist!" She exclaims incredulously. 

"I panicked okay!" Dahyun shrieks. She knows that it is inevitable that she'll run into the sorority girls, they do go to the same university after all, but it doesn't make it any less awkward. Especially seeing Sana and Momo. She wants to steer clear of them at all costs.

You know, to retain professionalism. 

"They're all _so_ hot. Especially Sana, wo-- Ouch! Why did you hit me?" Lisa pouts and rubs her arm. 

"Because!" Dahyun doesn't know why. 

Lisa rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Lets go."

* * *

 

 "Dahyun, could you go upstairs and ask one of the girls if they have a spare screwdriver?" Taeyang asks the next day. Dahyun finds that she's been able to get back into the groove of things again, and it's showing in the work, because the flooring is almost completely finished. But, upon hearing her friend's request, she instantly panics. 

"Why do I have to? Why can't you?" She snaps. 

"Because I'm a guy... And it's weird. And you know them already..." He elucidates slowly, as if this answer is obvious. 

Dahyun rolls her eyes but complies, marching up the stairs to make this as quick as possible. She's just hoping Sana is not anywhere close. She scours the landing, Momo's room is down the hall but she only knows that because her door is the only one with a sign on it. The rest of the rooms don't have any sign or an indication as to who the owner is. Dahyun groans at the sticky situation she's in. She doesn't want to ask Momo, incase she gets the wrong idea, but she also doesn't want to take her chances by going into a random room and it potentially being Sana's. 

"It's a 1 in 6 chance. I'm not  _that_ unlucky." Dahyun mumbles to herself, deciding to bite the bullet and knock on the first room she sees. She's being silly.

Music is coming from this particular room, and as soon as she knocks it abruptly stops. Dahyun taps her foot and waits for the door to open. 

"One sec!" Comes Sana's voice.

"For the love of god..." Dahyun curses, convinced that the universe just wants her to suffer. She doesn't have time to run, however, because the bedroom door opens and Sana is there smiling at her in surprise. Today, the girl is wearing a simple summery dress, her dark hair tied up in a messy bun. _She's so pretty_ Dahyun sighs internally.  

"Dahyun, what a surprise." 

Dahyun gets straight to the point, feigning passiveness as if her nerves aren't suddenly acting up. "Taeyang was wondering if you have a spare screwdriver."

Sana hums and looks up to think, before squealing a second later. Okay, admittedly, that was cute. The girl seems to always brim with excitement, and if she didn't make Dahyun extremely nervous she knows she would want to be in her company all of the time. 

"Yes! There's one in my room. Come in." 

Dahyun looks at Sana as if she's crazy. "Those are famous last words. I'll wait here." She denies, knowing that Sana is bullshitting her. 

Sana laughs. "What shitty movies have you been watching? No, seriously. I keep a toolbox in my room for emergencies." Sana insists, and she's serious, Dahyun can tell. She's actually quite impressed. Not many people she knows keep toolboxes in their rooms for emergencies. What emergency would even require the use of a toolbox? 

She sighs. "No funny business?"

"No funny business."

Relenting, Dahyun enters, eyes scanning her bedroom. Surprisingly, it's not as pink and girly as she expected it to be. It's minimalistic and simple, with white walls and white bedsheets and a panelled wooden floor. There are posters of girlgroups on Sana's wall and a guitar pushed in the corner. She plays guitar? Dahyun sniffs and smells faint cinnamon and something sweet, relaxing her. She likes this room. 

Sana gets to searching, rummaging through her drawers. "Pretty sure it's in one of these." She ponders. Dahyun stares at the girl's back, unable to look away. _She's so pretty... wait have I already said that in my mind?_ Dahyun reflects internally. She shakes her head and breathes out, willing the jittery feelings inside of her to settle.

"Ahah! Got it" Sana exclaims in victory, pulling out a pink toolbox ( _finally_ some pink) and grinning at Dahyun like she's proud of herself. Dahyun can't help but smile genuinely, there's just something so pure about Sana, despite her oozing sex appeal. "Here," She throws Dahyun a screwdriver with a pink handle, but Dahyun is so distracted thinking about how stunning Sana's eyes are that she isn't prepared. The screwdriver lands on the ground with a thud and Dahyun just stares at it like it's going to suddenly levitate and land in her hands.

 "You're almost as clumsy as me." Sana shakes her head in amazement, gazing at Dahyun like she's the most fascinating thing ever. 

Dahyun fake-glares at her and picks the screwdriver up from the ground. "I'm not clumsy! I'm just..." She trails off, because Sana is stepping closer towards her, her expressive, dark eyes not once leaving Dahyuns' wide ones. 

"You're just what?" Sana softly says, and if she takes two more steps she'll be  _too_ close. Dahyun's stomach is skydiving at incredible speed, her heart desperately trying to escape from her ribcage.  

"J-just..." Dahyun stutters out.  _What was I even going to say?_ She sure as hell can't remember. Especially not with Minatozaki Sana a mere two paces away from her, fluttering those ungodly long lashes at her and making her lose all trail of thought. She's not even really  _doing_ anything, she's not stepping closer, but Dahyun still feels the hairs on her skin stand on end. She scratches the back of her neck and suddenly remembers why she's here. 

"Thank you for the screwdriver. I better go... Give the screwdriver. To Taeyang. Yeah, I better go and do that." Dahyun mumbles out.

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you. No funny business, remember?" Sana reminds with a knowing smile.

Dahyun nods once. _Oh boy_ , she can't do this. "Yeah. Right. Okay, bye." She leaves the bedroom and can finally  _breathe_ properly. 

When she's back in the kitchen, she bangs her head against the wall for the second time. Taeyang raises an eyebrow and takes the screwdriver from her hands.

"Are you trying to give yourself a concussion?" He jokes, but Dahyun doesn't laugh. In fact, she hasn't moved her head from the wall. She wants to crawl into a hole and never emerge, _ever._

"Good idea. Maybe a concussion will help," And Dahyun lifts her head and prepares to bang her head against the wall once more but Taeyang chuckles and pulls her away. 

"Whoa whoa whoa. Maybe we should keep you away from walls. What happened?" 

"Sana." Dahyun utters, and Taeyang immediately smiles wickedly, seeming to completely understand what she means by that. 

"I see." He laughs, and despite her condition Dahyun slaps him.

"Shut  _up_." 

* * *

 

Later that night, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Lisa have a reservation at the local restaurant. Dahyun loves this particular restaurant because not only is it close to campus, but it's relatively cheap. Usually, it'd be busy on a Thursday evening but since many of the university students aren't here, it's quieter. 

"Are you sure you booked the table?" Dahyun asks as the three of them approach the doors. Lisa tends to forget to do things and leave them last minute.

Lisa nods. "Of course, Dahyun. I'm not an idiot." 

Chaeyoung pulls a face. "Are you sure about that?" 

Lisa shoves her lightly, but she's right. The table is booked and the three friends are led to one nicely pushed into the corner of the place, just how Dahyun likes it. This table overlooks the restaurant and it's secluded-ish. 

"I call shotgun!" Lisa exclaims. 

"What? That only applies to cars." Chaeyoung retorts. 

"No, it just means you get the first pick on what seat you get." Lisa argues, and Chaeyoung and her bicker whilst Dahyun takes a seat. They were _such_ schoolkids. 

Ignoring them, Dahyun pulls out her phone and browses through some news articles, particularly the technology ones. She's so immersed in an article about Artificial intelligence that she doesn’t notice her two friends' bickering fade out into nothing. 

"Dahyun." Chaeyoung hisses, nudging her. Dahyun looks up from her phone and sees seven gorgeous girls entering the restaurant, all dressed to the nines. The sorority. She curses and attempts to hide herself, but it doesn't work, because the seven girls all drift to a table very nearby, such that they have a perfect view of her. She pretends to scroll through her phone, already feeling her face heat up. 

"Dahyun that whole table is staring at you." Lisa says in a hushed tone. 

Dahyun looks up from her phone sheepishly and sure enough, the entire sorority is smiling at her. Dahyun plasters a smile on her face and gives a friendly wave, and they all wave back enthusiastically. She can hear Chaeyoung mumble something under her breath, sounding suspiciously like " _Lucky asshole_ ", but she isn't sure. Then, as if on perfect timing, the waiter comes along to take the three of their orders, and Dahyun is eternally grateful for it, because the seven girls turn their attention away from her. 

Once they place their order, Dahyun continues scrolling through her phone, deliberately not looking up in fear of making eye contact with the girls... (Or rather, Minatozaki Sana, but she'll never admit that). She just keeps running into them.

"Oh my God. Sana's coming towards us." Lisa whispers. 

"Wha- Heey!" Dahyun whips her head up but Sana is already here, standing there in skinny jeans and a t-shirt, casual attire, yes, but Sana manages to make casual attire look like a fashion statement.

Sana smiles. "Fancy seeing you here Dahyun."

Dahyun tries to smile, but she's half-certain that it's coming out as a grimace, because she feels the tingle in her stomach that always seems to occur around Sana hit her again. Chaeyoung and Lisa aren't even bothering to hide their amazed expressions, Dahyun doesn't blame them. Sana is beautiful.

"Likewise." Dahyun manages to say.

Lisa clears her throat and Dahyun remembers her manners. "These are my friends Lisa and Chaeyoung."  

Sana greets them briefly but then switches her attention back to Dahyun like she's not really interested in anyone but her. She flips her hair a little, and it's probably a harmless action, but with the way she's looking at Dahyun, she's doubts it. "Your friend here is doing an  _amazing_ job on our house." She hums, and maybe she's talking to Lisa and Chaeyoung, but she hasn't dropped eye contact with Dahyun once, not even while she is talking.

Okay, now she is blatantly flirting with her. God, she has no shame. Lisa and Chaeyoung's jaws are practically hitting the ground. 

"Well, I just wanted to say hi. I'll see you tomorrow, Dahyun." And she winks at her and walks away, leaving Dahyun deflated. 

"Oh my  _God._ She was flirting with you." Lisa gasps once she has left. 

"Your face is _so_ red. You looked like you were about to blow up just then." Chaeyoung mocks, and Dahyun is well aware, because her entire body feels like someone has just thrown her head first into an active volcano. 

"I  _know_." She sighs, hiding her face in her hands. 

"Popular girl flirts with the nerd." Lisa teases, and Dahyun scoffs.

"I'm  _not_ a nerd." 

"You study mechanical engineering. You read comic books. You listen to old people's music." 

"None of those things make me a nerd!" Dahyun protests. 

Her face has cooled down a little bit, and she's hoping the flushed redness has decided to go away. 

"I hate you. You're so unappreciative. I bet you haven't even asked for her number." Chaeyoung huffs, arms crossed. 

"I practically see her everyday! And I'm not even interested in her like that. At all." Dahyun lies. 

Lisa is looking at Sana's table and then back at Dahyun with an incredulous expression on her face. "Hirai Momo keeps glancing at you Dahyun. What the  _fuck_ have you been up to for the past four days!" 

"What?" Dahyun is about to turn and look to see what on earth Lisa is talking about but her friend stops her. 

"No don't look! It'll make it obvious that I was talking about her."

"Well then what am I supposed to do!"

"Nothing!"

"What do they see in you? You're the biggest slob I know." Chaeyoung scoffs. 

Lisa nods in agreement. "It's because she does all of that building work, and from a completely objective third person point of view with no interest in the matter, she's moderately attractive. Oh shit- Now Sana is looking at you again." 

Dahyun is feeling pretty overwhelmed at this point. 

"Does Taeyang need any extra help? I'll be happy to fill that vacancy." Chaeyoung questions, causing both Dahyun and Lisa to scoff. 

"Chaeyoung you cry when you get a _papercut_. What makes you think you're fit for manual labour?" Dahyun points out. 

"Well if it'll help me get hot girls I'll do it! I mean, Sana was basically mentally ripping her clothes off!" 

Dahyun slouches down onto her seat, shaking her head. "You're both insane." She can't help but laugh. 

"If only they knew she dances to  _Psy_ in her underwear. In fact, why don't I go and tell them that right now?" Lisa pretends to get up to leave and Dahyun yanks her back down. 

"Don't you dare."

"I thought you didn't even like sororities? You caught a glimpse of them and you decided suddenly you love it?" Chaeyoung continues to grill her.

"Oh look, our food is coming, lets just eat." Luckily, Dahyun's right, and she's saved from her friends interrogation. The waiters bring them their food and Dahyun happily tucks in, for the rest of the evening trying her best not to look at that particular table and allowing her friend's dumb jokes to carry her into ceaseless laughter. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I said this will only be 3 chapters max but it'll probably be a lot longer than that.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> Thank you for the comments and kudos! Motivates an avid procrastinator like me to actually update.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- DAHMO AHEAD.

Dahyun is not a morning person. She kind of has to be though, because sometimes there's a lecture early in the morning and she has to drag herself out of bed, but her iPhone alarm usually puts itself to use in that circumstance. When there's no school, no lectures and no work, she is _adamant_ about getting enough sleep. On the very first day of summer break, Chaeyoung tried to wake her up at 5 AM for an impromptu visit to the local cafe for breakfast. Dahyun doesn't remember it, but Chaeyoung said she  _growled_ at her. Legit growled. Like a bear. 

So, when she wakes up the next day to a phone call, she's less than amused. Yawning and still half asleep, Dahyun grabs at her phone blindly, finding it on her bedside table. 

"What." She mumbles, answering it. 

"Dahyun? Are you there?" Taeyang asks. 

Dahyun yawns again. "What." 

"I don't know what planet you're from, but here on earth we tend to use more than one word when we speak to other people on the phone." Taeyang says slowly. 

Dahyun rubs at her eyes and squints to check the time on her phone. _6 AM_? She doesn't have to get up for another couple of hours since work usually starts at 9. 6 _AM_ iswhat she considers to be the devils time, a time that should be unheard of for summer breaks. Taeyang, of all people, knows how much Dahyun hates earliness. She feels irritation replace her lethargy like a raging, burning furnace. 

"Okay, is  _what the hell do you want_ better?" She bites back.  

Taeyang laughs over the phone, and for the first time Dahyun notices just how throaty it sounds, like his throat is clogged up or something. 

"Yes, much better, but what will Mr and Mrs Kim think about their lovely Christian daughter using such foul language towards an elder?"

Dahyun rolls her eyes. "Taeyang please."

"Sorry, sorry." Taeyang croaks. "I'm sick. I won't be able to make it to help out today at the house, so you'll have to get the kitchen done on your own." 

Dahyun shoots up from bed immediately, suddenly feeling very awake. " _What?_ You're joking, right?" 

In the other bed next to her, Chaeyoung snores.

"It'll only be for two days. Maybe one."

"Taeyang, you're not serious."

"Is that Taeyang? Tell him I'm ready for the job," Chaeyoung mumbles, but her eyes are closed and she's _definitely_ not awake. Dahyun rolls her eyes. 

"All you have to do is finish up a couple of the floorboards and tile the walls. You've done it a million times before, kiddo--"

"Stop calling me that!" This is slowly turning into the worst day of Dahyun's short life. She may be overreacting, but two days is a  _long_ time to be in that house, alone, working on building work. She welcomes responsibility but she knows it'll no doubt lead to more social interaction with the girls. Typically, they tend to stay upstairs when her and Taeyang are working, but she knows that her being a lone soldier will prompt them to venture and accompany her. 

Taeyang sneezes. "You know I'm hardly sick. I can barely move. If you need my help, which I doubt you will, just call me." 

Dahyun pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales in defeat. "Fine. Get better." 

"Aw, that's sweet of you."

"I also want extra cash for doing this." 

"Wow, Dahyun."  
 

* * *

 

Momo answers the door today. It's a change, Dahyun has grown promptly accustomed to seeing Nayeon's face every morning (and Sana, the one time she opened the door for her), but today is different. Momo is dressed casually, pretty much how Dahyun would dress in her dorm, jogger bottoms and a simple jumper. It adds a sense of normalcy to her, and Dahyun is almost grateful. The last few days have been  _far_ from normal. 

Momo smiles sweetly at Dahyun, but then notices that she is alone. "No Taeyang today?" She questions, peering behind and around Dahyun like Taeyang is suddenly going to jump out from one of the bushes yelling " _Surprise_!". Dahyun shakes her head.

"Nope, he's not feeling well so it's just me." 

Momo makes this cute 'Ah' sound and nods. 

"I guess it'll just be us two then. The other girls have gone shopping for a few hours." She informs. 

Dahyun thinks briefly. Does she mind this? It certainly doesn't make her feel uncomfortable, or send her heart racing like it would if Sana said the same words. Momo is nice. She doesn't mind being alone with Momo. "Oh, okay." 

Momo brings Dahyun into the house. Dahyun watches her from the back, deep in thought. Okay, she's a little wary. The last encounter she had with Momo was... different. She still has no clue how to act around her, but she figures that Momo is just as kind as Chaeyoung and pretty much everyone says, so she'll be accomodating. Once in the kitchen, Momo jumps up onto the counter and watches Dahyun put her equipment down.

"I'd like to help you. You can teach me how to tile a wall, I've always wanted to be like Bob the builder." 

Dahyun laughs. "Really? I mean sure, I don't mind, but I'm a terrible teacher." She admits. Chaeyoung and Lisa both pestered her to teach them the same thing and Dahyun failed miserably. It's just not her forte. 

Momo shrugs with a smile. "I'm a terrible leaner, so." 

"Maybe we should stop using the word terrible." 

"Yeah, lets."

* * *

 

"Wait so this glue thingy goes first?"

Dahyun almost face palms. She didn't comprehend the nightmare that would ensue when a terrible teacher tries to teach a terrible student and collectively attempt to tile a wall. It just makes everything more terrible, and harder. She knows she'll have to take the lead if she wants it to be finished before they both graduate.  

"Momo for the last time it's _adhesive_. Glue doesn't work for tiling." She groans. Momo rolls her eyes. 

"Adhesive? Eh? This is all so complicated. Learning a dance routine in fifteen minutes is easier than this shit!"

Dahyun can't help but suppress a laugh at Momo's anger. It's cute as opposed to scary, she has a habit of scrunching her nose and pouting. Momo notices this and slaps her.

"Don't laugh at me! I don't know how you do this!" 

Dahyun gently takes the adhesive bucket from Momo's hands. She does feel a little guilty. Her terrible teaching isn't exactly helping. "Momo, it's okay. I'm grateful that you even wanted to help." Seeing Momo's genuine crestfallen expression she sighs. "If you want to keep me company you can just stay here." She supposes that it won't be the worst thing in the world to let Momo stay here with her. 

Momo's face brightens. "Thank  _God._ I don't think I'd be able to pretend to know what's going on any longer." She sighs in relief and brushes her hands off, opting to examine Dahyun as she mixes the adhesive. Dahyun laughs. 

"You know, you have a really nice laugh." Momo says. 

Dahyun pulls a face and shakes her head. "No I don't." She denies. Chaeyoung once compared her laugh to a ' _Dolphin with respiratory problems_ ' and Dahyun hasn't been able to laugh the same way ever since. 

"You do. And you're smart, and pretty, and you know how to put that glue thingy on the walls..."

"Adhesive." 

"Glue thingy."

"Fine. Glue thingy." 

"My point is, I admire that. I admire you." Momo finishes. Dahyun stops mixing the adhesive and turns to Momo, unsure as to whether or not the girl is joking or not. She isn't. She's smiling at Dahyun softly, her crescent eyes warm and genuine. Dahyun smiles back, genuinely touched. 

"Thank you-"

Just then, the doors swing open, and Dahyun hears the kerfuffle of six girls entering the house, someone's singing (Nayeon, probably) and Dahyun can hear Momo mutter a profanity under her breath in annoyance. Everything's fine, until the girls all barge into the kitchen and see Momo and Dahyun standing right next to each other. 

"Hi guys." Nayeon says with a knowing smile. Dahyun can literally  _see_ the cogs turning in her head, and all the wrong conclusions that she's jumping to. Not just her. The entire sorority. They're all grinning and smirking, even Tzuyu, like they just caught Momo and Dahyun making out. Well, everyone except for one. Sana. She's stood just behind Nayeon, and although Dahyun cannot see her clearly, she can see that the girl has no smile, no grin, instead she's watching Dahyun with piercing eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. Dahyun feels her stomach turn and she promptly looks away. 

"Hi... Sorry, Taeyang's sick, so Momo was just keeping me company." Dahyun admits. Maybe that isn't the right thing to say. Nayeon is beaming now, like Dahyun's words translate into " _Momo was totally just kissing me_ ".

"Keeping you company huh..." Nayeon repeats slowly. "Momo, how about we let Dahyun get back to work." 

Momo shrugs and Dahyun feels her body warmth leave hers as she goes off to join the others. 

"Well, we'll leave you now. Bye bye." Nayeon waves and the girls move upstairs. Dahyun watches them leave, or rather, watches Sana leave, but the dark haired girl doesn't once catch her eye, not once, and Dahyun feels disappointment bubble in her like a hefty sadness. 

* * *

 

Dahyun doesn't know how or _why_ she agreed, but she finds herself having dinner with the sorority the same evening. It all happened so quickly, just as Dahyun was about to leave (courtesy of Jeongyeon). She's pretty sure the conversation went a little bit like this:

_"Dahyun, are you free tonight?"_

_"Yeah, why?"_

_"Do you like pizza?"_

_"Yeah... Why?"_

_"Great, so it's settled then. Come around at 6 and we'll feed you."_

Dahyun remembers the door shutting in her face straight after that, and she presumed that it left her with no choice. Well, she isn't exactly complaining. Chaeyoung can't cook, and Dahyun can't really cook either. Most days they have ramen for dinner and occasionally takeout. Pizza sounds good. The only thing that is filling her with worry is having to be in the same vicinity as both Sana and Momo, simultaneously, and trying not to act like a total idiot. 

So, at 6:30 Dahyun is in the sorority's living room, sitting on a couch with seven other girls around her. She's squished between Momo and Mina, whilst Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Tzuyu and Sana are on the recliner opposite.

"So Dahyun, you study engineering. How's that going for you?" Nayeon asks. She has a bottle of soju in her hands, and Dahyun shrugs. What does she even say to that? 

"Okay I guess. Engineering is engineering so,"

"She's so good with numbers. She can do all of that mental stuff in her head." Momo adds proudly, tapping Dahyun's forehead.

Dahyun chuckles and shakes her head modestly. Nayeon is beaming.

"Really? What about literature, Dahyun? Do you appreciate the works of Shakespeare?" Nayeon questions, head tilted.

Dahyun shakes her head. "Well, not really. I never saw the hype." Everyone in the room discreetly gestures for Dahyun to stop talking. Dahyun watches Nayeons' face contort into something rather scary, and she rushes to save herself. "Actually, yes. I watched the Lion King, that's based on Hamlet, right?" She queries sheepishly.

It's too late. Nayeon has heard it, and she gasps. 

"When I introduce you to a  _real_ adaptation of such a--"

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes and sighs. "Nayeon please don't lecture her on Shakespeare. She doesn't deserve to have her ears bleed."

Nayeon turns to Jeongyeon with fiery eyes. Dahyun chuckles as she watches the scene unravel, and the next second she can feel a weight on her shoulder. Momo is leaning on her. Dahyun can feel her blush arise and for the millionth time she curses her parents for producing a child so susceptible to blushing. 

Hawk-eyed Nayeon notices this action in record time. "How cute are you two?" She exclaims, hand to heart, looking as if she wants to wrap Dahyun up and shove her into her pocket.

Dahyun laughs off the embarrassment. Her eyes inadvertently flicker to certain dark haired girl, but Sana is not even looking at her, she's texting on her phone with a straight face like she has absolutely no interest in what's going on before her. In fact, she's been on her phone since Dahyun arrived, distant. Disengaged. Dahyun almost _misses_ her attention now that it's gone.  

"I kind of ship you two. Is that bad? Is it too soon?" Nayeon continues. It seems like out of all these girls, Nayeon has no bounds when it comes to speaking her mind (Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's the only one drinking alcohol). Dahyun would usually admire this trait but not in this circumstance, because she hears Sana let out an audible sound, like a snort, at Nayeon's words. It's hard to tell if she's snorting at something on her phone, or at what Nayeon said, because she's still transfixed on texting or scrolling or doing whatever the hell she is doing. What's her problem? Everyone else is laughing along, even Momo, not taking her words seriously.

"I mean just picture it! The relationship would be somewhat similar to that of Desdemona and Othello, Dahyun the gallant Othello and Momo the innocent, sweet flower Desdemona--"

"Othello kills Desdemona in cold blood." Sana interrupts, the first thing she's said this evening. Her tone is curt, like everyone is being annoying and it's exhausting her. Her look of irritation is more prevalent now that she's abandoned the texting, and Dahyun watches as she challenges Nayeon. 

If Nayeon notices Sana's tone, she doesn't show it. "Ah! Good point, but that's only because of Iago's meddling, the evil wretch. No, in this version of the story there's no Iago- so Othello and Desdemona's love can blossom!"

"Sounds idealistic." 

Nayeon stills and turns to Sana, finally registering her comments. Momo also leans up from Dahyun's shoulder, frowning a little. It's quieter now, the buzz in the room slightly dulled. 

"Are you okay?" Momo asks her friend. 

Sana leans back on the recliner, watching Dahyun in particular as she speaks. "Peachy." Dahyun swallows, unsure of what is up with her. The rest of the girls are showing concern, but Sana doesn't drop her gaze. 

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight everyone." Sana abruptly announces, standing up and grabbing her phone. The girls murmur a confused 'goodnight' as sana heads up the stairs. Dahyun stares dejectedly at the floor, suddenly very uncomfortable. Something is surely wrong. Dahyun feels like she's the one causing it. 

"Maybe she just doesn't like Othello?" Tzuyu suggests.

Nayeon shakes her head. "It's not that. She loves Othello," She ponders, before shrugging. "Anyway, Dahyun, tell us about your roommate." 

Dahyun does, and for the remainder of the evening (Even after the pizza arrives) she talks with the girls, despite the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that is wondering is Sana is okay, or if she has upset her. She forces a smile and engages in the conversation, laughing when Jeongyeon makes jokes about her and Momo together as a couple, agreeing when Nayeon bashes John Donne (She's never actually heard of the poet) but Sana is still there, her stare is still on her even though she's  _gone_ , and Dahyun cannot shake that feeling no matter how hard she tries. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ALL for reading and thank you for the comments and kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorky Dahyun

Taeyang's still sick the next day. Dahyun thinks of calling in sick too, but she knows that the wrath that'll no doubt be unleashed from her senior just isn't worth it.

Besides, this is becoming a routine. Wake up, go to the sorority, work, come back home, answer Chaeyoung's intense questions about everything and anything that happens, then repeat the entire process again the next day. Dahyun quite likes routine, so she's not exactly against it. Plus, the kitchen is practically finished, and if Dahyun has to say so herself it looks phenomenal. The girls are loving it too, especially Mina, who keeps commenting on the intricacy and detail put into the tiles. Dahyun soaks up the praise like a sponge.

That's another new thing. Dahyun finds that the girls are visiting her more often, particularly after their pizza date, asking if she needs anything, talking to her, keeping her company. She likes them all. 

"Me and my yeah, I da da da," Dahyun sings along to some song she's never heard of playing on the radio, using the head of the broomstick as a impromptu microphone. She's a little buzzed up on the coffee that Momo went out of her way to purchase for her (It was nice of her though), and she may not know the lyrics but that doesn't mean she can't put on a show. Spinning around, Dahyun mentally transforms the broomstick/microphone into a female dancing counterpart, and she waltzes with it around the room, the pop song blaring in the background.

The song finishes and Dahyun bows, pretending to absorb the applause from the non-existent audience. 

"Wow. That was really something." Sana says in sheer amusement. Dahyun freezes in place, eyes widening as she turns to the door, seeing Sana standing there, giggling behind her hand. She feels her stomach sink, and not in a cute way. In the way it does when a 16 year old boy's mom asks to use his laptop and finds porn in the search history, in  _that_ sort of way. She doesn't think she's ever been this embarrassed in her 19 years of existence. 

"How much of that did you see?" She groans, quickly discarding of the broomstick/microphone/female dancing counterpart. 

Sana removes her hand from her mouth but she's still evidently suppressing laughter. "The 'I da da da' part and sudden ballroom synergy was the most touching thing I've ever seen in my life." She admits behind laughter. Dahyun thinks that any chance that Sana is remotely into her has diminished, and she can  _hear_ Chaeyoung and Lisa in the back of her head, like two demons, yelling ' _LOSER_ ' at the top of their lungs. She wonders if, maybe, her distant relatives over in Australia would be happy for her to move over there for the rest of her life. Or, maybe, she could get herself arrested for something stupid like shoplifting and spend some time behind bars. Or, she could create a false identity and leave the country, removing any traces of her existence from the face of the earth. 

 _Maybe that last one is a tad dramatic,_ She thinks. 

But, Sana doesn't seem to mind. Rather, she smiles and walks further into the kitchen, looking around. Dahyun puts her hands behind her back and swings on her feet nervously, watching Sana  as she examines her handiwork. She's quite shocked that Sana is smiling at her, she was so certain that she'd done something to piss her off the night prior. And yet, Sana is walking around like nothing has happened at all. Dahyun is undoubtedly happy. 

"It looks so good so far. You really do work magic." Sana comments, her sparkling eyes finally meeting Dahyun's. Dahyun chuckles and shuffles over to the backdoors by the garden, in the unlikely case that she'll need to make a quick escape. If Sana keeps looking at her like that, she'll go insane, and she'll have to run away so that she doesn't do something immensely embarrassing. 

Sana has this potent curiousity in her eyes, but there's also joviality, like she knows exactly what Dahyun is doing and why, and it makes Dahyun want to squirm. 

"Psh, well, I mean Taeyang does most of it." Dahyun dismisses. 

Sana hums, shrugging. "And Momo helps too, no?" She says, and there's this subtle digging undertone that only someone as perceptive as Dahyun can pick up, but she does pick it up, and she wonders why she seems so bothered about Momo. 

"Are you two fighting?' Dahyun questions. 

Sana giggles, not even remotely taken aback by the question. "Why would you think that?" She ventures more into the room, closer to Dahyun, and Dahyun's entire body twitches. At this point she's almost certain that this isn't a healthy reaction to another person, but it's just the mere fact that Sana is almost presumptuously holding eye contact that is rattling her. It's like, she has no qualms about it. Like she knows the affect she has on people, and she owns it. 

"It's just that- yesterday, I don't know. You seemed upset about something." Dahyun admits. 

Sana looks deep in thought. "Should I be honest, Dahyun?" 

Dahyun nods once, even though she isn't sure she wants to bear the brunt of Sana's honesty. 

Sana sighs, long deep and hard, and regards Dahyun with serious composure. 

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't do competition." She divulges in a steady tone.

Then she's gone. Out of the kitchen, and leaving Dahyun a flummoxed mess. 

* * *

  

"Has she ever like, dated someone?" Dahyun asks Chaeyoung and Lisa the next day. It's obviously random, thrown in the conversation somewhere between ' _I hate men_ ' and ' _Kill the asshole!_ ' (Lisa is having a very heated Team deathmatch game on call of duty with a bunch of twelve year old boys). Dahyun is curious, curious about Sana, and she knows that her friends will know all the gossip.

But, Chaeyoung completely ignores her and Lisa doesn't even look away from the television screen, still furiously tapping away at the controller.

"Sorry what? Who, Sana?" Lisa asks distractedly. Dahyun nods. "Oh, well she doesn't necessarily 'date', from what I've heard. She just does her own thing. Kinda like you, except she actually _has_ admirers."

Dahyun lightly kicks Lisa, but not too hard, because she has a kill streak and if Dahyun ruins that she won't talk to her for a week. It's happened before.

"I have admirers!" She argues.

"That one highschooler you tutor from your church doesn't count, Dahyun." Chaeyoung inputs, her eyes also glued to the screen. Dahyun rolls her eyes. Sure, Somi is a highschooler, and she may have an innocent crush on Dahyun that is obvious/not so obvious, but Dahyun thinks it's cute, anyway.

"I know for sure that Momo dates though. Boys, girls, all that jazz. And Sana dated this guy last year, but she dumped him because he was creepy and she was highkey into girls. There's a rumour that an hour after they broke up she hooked up with Eunha."

Eunha? Dahyun knows Eunha, she's a short, pretty girl who studies international relations. Dahyun is a little jealous. They make a cute couple even if it burns her to admit it. 

"And Sana usually only flirts with people on her social level. Feel lucky, Dahyun. You're the underdog repping for all us underdogs."

"She's a nice girl but... she's so _forward_. I honestly get so confused." Dahyun admits, rubbing her temples. She isn't going to mention the 'I don't do competition' thing to her friends, because they'll no doubt scream the house down, and she still hasn't truly deciphered what on earth it means. She's been trying (key word-trying) not to read too deeply into it.  

"By nice you mean hot, and don't act like you don't like her forwardness. I should've taken a picture of your face the other day when she came to our table, I could _feel_ the pulsations of your vagina throbbing from my seat."

Dahyun kicks Lisa harshly this time, causing her controller to fly out of her hands to the ground. "Lisa, that is _disgusting_." Dahyun remarks.

"I agree with vagina throb, that was quite gross man." Chaeyoung concedes, kicking Lisa too just as she picks up the controller. It goes flying again.

Lisa holds her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! Too far. Stop kicking me!"

"I think you should try and flirt back with Sana. See how she reacts. Maybe she just likes the chase and if you actually reciprocate her advances she'll get bored." Chaeyoung suggests with a shrug.

Lisa laughs. "There's no way that Dahyun can possibly flirt, let alone with Sana, without either freaking out or doing something embarrassing." She scoffs.

She's not wrong. Dahyun won't admit that though. She's too prideful.

"You underestimate my charms!" She defends herself.

"Dahyun, try it. Worst case scenario Sana realises just how cringey you really are and she drops you. Best case scenario Sana _and_ Momo realise just how cringey you actually are and they _both_ drop you." Chaeyoung insists, grinning.

"I'll prove you wrong, asshole."

"Good luck. When you inevitably fuck up and lose the interest of two of the hottest girls in our university, send them my way. Tell them my main selling point is that I'm artsy. I can draw and I'm smart. Girls love that, right?" Chaeyoung asks. 

"Apparently girls like girls like Dahyun." Lisa mentions, smashing at her controller again.

"So I just have to be a short hyperactive weirdo?"

"You're already short." Lisa deadpans.

"So Dahyun!" Chaeyoung says, clasping her hands together and changing the subject. "Do it! She's into you! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

Dahyun rolls her eyes. She wants to try, solely to prove her friends wrong. Flirting with Sana shouldn't be  _that_ hard. It's not like Dahyun is totally socially inept. She thinks she can handle throwing in a few compliments here and there. Even though she finds it hard sometimes to form words when Sana is in her presence. Even though Sana's sparkling twinkling eyes make her want to throw up a little. She can do this. 

* * *

 

 

Taeyang, much to Dahyun's delight, is back and feeling better than ever. He's pleasantly surprised at the progress that Dahyun made on her own, and everyone is happy to see him again.  

"So- Living room. I'm going to grab the paint, do you think you can set out the sheets over the floor while I'm gone?" 

Dahyun nods. They have to lie out sheets so to not leave paint on the floor when they eventually do paint. Painting is actually Dahyun's favourite part about decorating. It makes everything worthwhile. It's fun. 

"You seem to be leaving me alone here a lot these days, Tae. Are you indirectly telling me that you're tired of my company?"

"Yes. I am." Taeyang grins and grabs his rucksack. "I'll be back in twenty!" 

Dahyun gets to work, laying out the sheets over the floor with a sigh. Okay, this part is boring. _And_ not all the girls are home today. Jihyo has gone on holiday with her family, and Mina and Tzuyu are out at their summer job in the library. Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Momo are upstairs, doing God knows what, but no-one is coming to accompany Dahyun and she feels a little lonely. She has neglected listening to the radio during work after yesterday's incident, but she also realises that operation ' _flirt with Sana_ ' is technically in motion. She doesn't even know what to say to her. She tried practising compliments, like 'you look nice', 'nice hair!' in the mirror last night, but none of them really came out right. Eventually, she just decided to go with the flow and let whatever comes to her on the spot out. Probably not the best plan, but Dahyun is past the point of caring. 

But Dahyun doesn't have time to think about the repercussions any longer because she spots Sana padding down the stairs, humming a tune. Dahyun is starting to wonder if the girl has somehow infiltrated her mind and can read and detect whenever she's thinking about her. Maybe they're telepathically in sync.

Sana is wearing a gorgeous strapless shirt, and it's showing her shoulders, and Dahyun is staring at sana's collarbones because  _fuck_ they are sharp, and she has completely lost her trail of thought. 

Sana, upon seeing Dahyun crouched on the ground, gives her a wave. Dahyun waves back. 

"Painting today?" Sana inquires, gesturing to the paintbrushes laid out on the coffee table. 

"Uh-huh." Dahyun says, still trying to control her eyes from fixating too hard on Sana's collarbones. 

Sana heads over to the couch and watches Dahyun spread out the sheet on the floor. Dahyun feels scrutinised, but not in a bad way. She tries to continue her job without thinking too much about the fact that the most beautiful person in her university is watching her do it.

"Do you mind if I sit here? I usually read on this couch but if I'm in your way I'll leave." Sana asks. Dahyun glances up, sees Sana holding a book, and she shakes her head, maybe a little too vigorously. 

"No I don't mind! Uh... What are you reading?" Dahyun asks. She doesn't read much for pleasure (She is trying to change this) but, she does appreciate a good book. She's glad that she asked, too, because Sana's face brightens like she's excited, and she shows Dahyun the cover of the book. 

"The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. No doubt one of my top fives." 

Dahyun looks at the cover. It's depicting an image of a cartoon dog with a pitchfork lodged into it's body. She furrows her eyebrows. "What is it about?"

"It's about a kid with Aspergers and his investigation into the murder of his neighbor's dog. But, I mean, it's so much more than that. To me it represents the thoughts and feelings of just being an anomaly, you know? Having to navigate your way around a world that you don't really feel is yours." 

Dahyun is smiling widely at Sana without saying anything. She wouldn't mind listening to Sana talking about books for the rest of her life. She knows, of course, that the woman studies English literature, but she didn't know that Sana actually  _read_. She almost feels guilty, she's been subconsciously reducing Sana to just her looks but she isn't just that. Dahyun thinks she is magnificent. 

"That's really cool... That you like books and stuff." Dahyun comments lamely. She feels like she's coming across as an idiot, which is totally counterproductive because she's supposed to be the smart one. 

"I study English Literature, Dahyun. I kinda have to like books." Sana giggles. But, she's got this soft look in her eyes now, and it's slightly different from the teasing one she usually upholds. 

Dahyun distinctly remembers the plan to flirt with Sana, which at the moment is revealing itself to be an astronomical failure. "That was stupid of me. Maybe I should just stop talking." 

Sana’s lips are curved in a gentle smile, and Dahyun’s heart is racing. Like it always does around her. "No, it wasn't stupid of you. And I'd be very sad if you stopped talking." 

_Flirt with her. Now's your chance. Confidently. Yeah, c'mon pussy! Wait... Chaeyoung? How did you get into my thoughts?_

"I'd be very sad if you stopped talking too." 

Both Dahyun and Sana seem taken aback by this. Dahyun doesn't know just how the words came out of her own mouth, and Sana's beautiful eyes are widened slightly, like she can't quite believe it either. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah."

And Sana, for the first time since Dahyun has met her, shyly looks down and briefly smiles at the ground, her long dark lashes shielding her eyes. Dahyun feels like she’s a schoolgirl again, but she's pretty sure even schoolgirls don't get _this_ happy seeing their crush smile.

Then, like the universe is playing yet another trick on Dahyun, Nayeon starts screaming for Sana from upstairs. "Sana! I need your help with something!"

Dahyun doesn't want her to go, even though she has work to do. She wants her to stay.

Sana rises from her seat and sighs. 

"That's my cue." She says.

"Oh. I'll see you later?" Dahyun says quietly. 

Sana grins at Dahyun, with gorgeous white teeth, and nods. "Yeah. I'll see you later."

Operation 'flirt with Sana' didn't even feel much like an operation anymore. It just felt natural. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued love and support. Also sorry!


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